1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-362832 discloses a terminal fitting that has a rectangular tube. A tongue is cantilevered backward into the rectangular tube. The tongue comes into sliding contact with a tab of a mating terminal and is deformed downward. There is also an auxiliary spring behind the tongue in the rectangular tube. The auxiliary spring has a fixed rear end and a free front end that extends in a direction opposite to the tongue. When the tongue is deformed, the lower surface of the tongue comes into contact with the front end of the auxiliary spring and causes the auxiliary spring to deform downward together with the tongue.
The auxiliary spring is formed by being cut and bent from the bottom plate of the rectangular tube portion. Cuts are made in the bottom plate from the front edge of the auxiliary spring to opposite widthwise side edges of the bottom plate and then along the opposite widthwise side edges of the bottom plate so that the only portion of the bottom plate that is continuous from edge to opposite widthwise edge is the base end of the auxiliary spring. A short portion of the auxiliary spring extending forward from the ends of the cuts made along the opposite widthwise side edges of the bottom plate is flush with the inner surface of the bottom plate and serves as a support. The portion of the auxiliary spring that does not serve as a support is gradually raised from the support toward the tongue.
When the auxiliary spring is deformed, part of the base end of the auxiliary spring may easily project outward from the bottom plate because it is closer than the support to the cuts made in the opposite widthwise edges of the bottom plate. If part of the base end of the auxiliary spring does project outward it may interfere with the bottom wall of a cavity of a connector housing and change the auxiliary spring property of the auxiliary spring.
The invention was completed to provide a terminal fitting configured such that a base end part of an auxiliary spring does not project outward from a base plate even if the auxiliary spring piece is deformed.